Aunt Zhou, holding a handkerchief in her hand, slowly sat down beside the Third Miss and asked gently, "How was your learning to be a housekeeper today?"

"When my sister-in-law taught me how to manage the household, her methods were harsh and her temper was bad. I was so scared that I didn't even dare to breathe. My mind was in a mess. Later, when Wen Zhu took over as the housekeeper, I started to listen to him a little bit."

The third young lady sighed, still feeling uneasy as she recalled today's experience.

Aunt Zhou's eyes lit up, as if she had found new hope: "Yes, Wen Zhu has a gentle temperament and is fair in her dealings. She won't bully others based on their feelings. You can get closer to her. If she can speak well of you in front of the Madam and the Young Madam, it will also be beneficial to your future marriage."

Fu Shulan thought about what happened at noon and felt that Wen Zhu was indeed kind to others. She often heard the maids and old women say that she was considerate, so she nodded and felt a little warm in her heart.

In the afternoon, Fu Shulan got up and went to Qifangyuan. From a distance, she saw that there were sheds in some places in the inner house. There was a large bucket of mung bean soup and a bucket of sour plum soup in them, and the fresh scent filled her nose.

Two old women were chatting in low voices, fanning themselves as they talked.

"On such a hot day, drinking a bowl of mung bean soup really quenches thirst and relieves the heat."

An old woman sighed, her face full of relief.

"Why would the young lady think of this?"

Another old woman asked curiously, obviously also enjoying the sudden coolness.

"Maybe it wasn't the young lady's idea. I heard it was proposed by Concubine Xu."

The old woman whispered, her words full of gratitude.

"Mrs. Xu? That's no wonder. She started out as a servant and knows the difficulties people like us face."

There was a hint of understanding in the woman's words.

In this mansion, there are not many people who can put themselves in the servants' shoes, but Aunt Xu is an exception.

"She's really thoughtful. Some people have climbed to great heights, so why would they care about the hard work of others?"

Another woman next to her echoed, her tone full of disdain.

In their eyes, some people only care about themselves and completely disregard the feelings of others.

"That's right."

Another servant nodded in agreement.

Although Aunt Xu was not a big shot, her good deeds deeply touched everyone's heart.

"With her around, our lives would be a little easier."

Another voice whispered, its words revealing a longing for the future.

In this difficult world, a person who can help is as warm as a light in the dark night.

"Indeed."

The others echoed, and a relieved smile appeared on everyone's face.

When the maids saw the third young lady coming, they immediately stopped talking and bowed to her respectfully.

After all, the Third Young Lady's status is there. Even though she has a good relationship with these maids, she still needs to maintain proper etiquette on such occasions.

At this time, Wen Zhu also came to Qifangyuan. Su Xiawei had just woken up and was yawning. Her sleepy look was very adorable.

The room was filled with a faint fragrance, which was refreshing.

"The second and third young ladies are almost here, right? What should we teach them this afternoon?"

Wen Zhu asked as he combed Su Xiawei's hair with skillful and gentle movements.

Her eyes fell on the woman in the mirror, full of concern.

"They have to study in the afternoon? How can I have so much free time?"

Su Xiawei frowned, seeming a little unhappy.

He was tired of accompanying his two younger sisters in learning music, chess, calligraphy and painting all day long.

"Madam asked them to learn from you all day long. She might be worried that the second young lady is a little older and has never learned these things before, so she might be too late."

Wen Zhu replied softly, his voice gentle but firm.

It is obvious that the Duke's wife sincerely hopes to raise her two daughters to be successful, even though the road is not easy.

The Duke's wife had tried to find a suitable marriage for the second daughter many times before, but she was never satisfied.

However, after all, she has reached the age of marriage, and no one can predict when her wedding date will be set. She may even get married at any time.

Thinking of this, Su Xiawei became even more irritated.

If she can't take care of anything, she might ruin the good reputation of the Duke's wife as the legitimate mother.

As a responsible mother, the Duchess of Guo certainly hopes that her children can master some basic life skills.

"That eldest young lady thinks highly of herself and doesn't even take me seriously, so I'm too lazy to teach her. As for the third young lady, she's timid and cowardly, so what can I teach her?"

Su Xiawei complained while rolling the jade roller on her face, trying to relieve her inner dissatisfaction.

Wen Zhu thought for a while, then smiled and said, "Since Madam has already given the order, it would be inappropriate not to teach. So...

Or maybe we could just take a couple of old account books and let them study them. That would at least take up an entire afternoon."

"Okay, just pick two for them."

Su Xiawei responded absentmindedly, her mind obviously having flown elsewhere.

Wen Zhu carefully selected two thick account books and waited for the arrival of the second and third young ladies.

Finally, when the two young ladies appeared, she handed the book to them solemnly.

"To learn how to be a steward, you must first be able to understand the account books. The young lady said that you can try to read it yourself first. If you encounter something you don't understand while reading, you can come and ask me at any time."

Wen Zhu said gently with a smile.

The second young lady took the account book, turned around and left without saying anything extra.

The third young lady opened the account book and looked through it for a while at her seat, then frowned.

"This... I really don't understand it at all."

She looked up at Wen Zhu, her eyes full of confusion and helplessness.

Wen Zhu tiptoed behind the Third Young Lady, gently pointing his finger at a line of text on a page in the account book in his hand, and slowly began to explain, "Look at this section. It records the exchanges of gifts between our family and others. For example, the word 'jin' here refers to some gifts given to us by others. For example, the Princess's Mansion once gave us an exquisite coral sculpture during the Dragon Boat Festival. This means that we have received this precious gift..."

Then, Wen Zhu continued to explain a lot of relevant knowledge to the third young lady with patience and gentleness, helping her to better understand the contents of the accounts.

After hearing what Wen Zhu said, the Third Miss couldn't help but feel a little frustrated: "Alas, learning these things doesn't make any practical sense to me anyway."

"Why do you feel it's useless?"

Hearing this, Wen Zhu couldn't help but raise his voice and asked with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"With my personality, when the man's family proposes marriage in the future, they will most likely not consider me as the eldest daughter-in-law.